The sound of old new voices

The artists today are all fairly new on the scene, with these efforts either representing their debut CDs or sophomore albums. What is consistent with them, is the musicality that’s been input, and how they’ve all passed their courses of musical history. Each artist makes a reverential nod to a bygone era; or to artists who have recently graced the charts.

Hear My Heart — Nikki Gil (EMI). Here is a CD I had no real expectations about; and was surprised by the strong arranging values and excellent choice of songs. And all this from an artist who’s quite young, and has made more of a living recently by interpreting High School Musical songs. But as Randy Jackson would say, “Check it out”: James Taylor, Andy Gibb, Bachelor Girl, Daniel Bedingfield (brave choice this one, and she acquits herself admirably), the list of covers is an impressive bunch. She uptempos Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight, and slows down I Just Want to Be Your Everything — all with very pleasing results. There’s an R&B tint to these songs, while still staying in the Pop mainstream, but it’s the carrier ballad Hear My Heart, which Nikki herself penned with her sister Danela, that had me thinking this lady has the chops to make it for the long haul. Hopefully, the composing side will be given more exposure in the CDs to come. Nikki definitely comes of age with this CD, and deserves a listen.

Scouting for Girls — Scouting for Girls (Sony BMG). This is BritPop at its most mischievous and alluring. Scouting for Girls has been doing the concert circuit for some time now, attracting fans in droves with its tongue-in-cheek songs of lost innocence, lust and longing. With titles like Elvis Ain’t Dead, James Bond and She Is So Lovely, one gets an idea of the yearning and idyllic pose Scouting puts a premium on. The very strong East End accent may be somewhat disconcerting at first, but if you’ve listened to bands like Pulp and the Housemartins, you’ll get over the accent and just enjoy the music that’s to be found here. Its strong party music, meant to be played loud and raucous, and while there’s an obvious nod to the music of the ‘80s, Scouting does make a grand effort of updating that genre, and providing music that sounds fresh and contemporary. My ultimate test with these bands that remind me of some bygone era is to make the fresh ears of my teenage boys give the music a listen — and they asked if they could keep the CD. That’s passing within flying colors.

9 Lives — Kat deLuna (Sony BMG). Playing on her first name, we have the CD from Dominican Rebublic native Kat deLuna. It’s produced by Akon, and it has a strong mix of Pop, Dance, Merengue, Salsa and Hip-Hop. I know that may be a handful of genres, but with Akon at the mixing board, and the smash hit of last summer, Whine Up, under her belt, Kat certainly makes her case for following the footsteps of Rihanna. The duet with Akon, Am I Dreaming, is for my money, the strong second single that should solidify the new artist. The thing with Kat is that the first time I heard Whine Up, I thought it was Shakira exploring a more Dance-oriented type of music, and then, there was an instant when I thought it was a new, raunchier Jennifer Lopez. Kat will have to get over that hump of being associated with other more established artists, and carve out an identity of her own. Her videos will also have to be more stylized and glossy, to get her sucked into the Pop mainstream. A credible effort with the CD.